There are over 400 million private firearms in the United States, 16 million people with permits to carry firearms, and 13 states where no permit is required to carry a concealed weapon. That less than 4,000 forgot a firearm in their carry-on is amazingly low.

That is one for every 200,000 passengers.

Just a little over 1/3 or 34.8% of the firearms had a round in the chamber. They could not have been accidentally discharged in the luggage.

TSA says 84% were “loaded”, so 50% must have had rounds in the magazine, but not in the chamber.

Most of the firearms found in carry-ons were brought without the intention of doing so. TSA gives this advice:

If you’re grabbing a bag, suitcase, briefcase, jacket or other item you haven’t used in a while, be sure to give it the onceover so you don’t accidentally take something prohibited to the checkpoint. Many people who have brought guns, ammunition, knives and other prohibited item say that they did so unknowingly. You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure.

People make mistakes. They get in a hurry. They grab a jacket or bag on the way to the airport and do not carefully check all the compartments or pockets. I ended up carrying a full box of 50 .22 rimfire cartridges on a flight one year, without any intention of doing so. Noting unusual occurred with that misadventure, except that I left the .50 rounds instead of bringing them back with me.

Many people have remarked how they inadvertently brought a knife or other prohibited item in their carry-on.

As more and more people carry firearms for their personal protection and to exercise their Second Amendment rights, more and more will slip up and unintentionally bring a firearm to the secure area of an airport.

A quick look at the map shows that states that do not honor the exercise of the Second Amendment have few people legally carrying firearms. They do not have the airports with the largest number of people who are inadvertently caught up in the TSA net.

Chicago's O'hare International Airport, New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport are conspicuously absent from the top ten shown on the graphic above.

It appears that few people caught in Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, or Miami are prosecuted with heavy jail time or large fines for their momentary lapse of judgment. Celebrities that are caught up sometimes make the news. The last I recall was former Governor Haley Barbour in on January 2nd of 2018. He ended up a paying a $3,920 fine for a lapse of memory.

The penalty is too high. If the person was otherwise legally carrying the firearm, the lost of time and money on the flight should be enough. At most, a small fine would suffice.Heavy fines and jail time act as a means to chill the exercise of the Second Amendment.

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.

That fine is an excellent reminder to never be so negligent again
It is interesting to note that 50% of negligent gun owners favor empty chamber, loaded magazine
“ Israeli style” carry
I get so much hate whenever I comment that I carry empty chamber for the extra safety it gives me
“ you might as well carry a club”, “ you will short stroke racking the slide under stress”, and the ever popular “it takes 2 hands!”
It seems I have a lot of company carrying without a round in the chamber!

Docdur, it’s your life. There are videos showing people failing to rack/load their firearms or fail to switch off the external safeties. So much for that “added” safety. If you are not comfortable with having a loaded firearm, practice. Firearms generally don’t fire themselves, they normally require the trigger to be pulled. If the firearm is holstered, you can’t pull the trigger. As far as why these people didn’t have their firearms with chambered rounds probably has to do with how they were being stored. I don’t know about you, but I doubt you would be carrying CC in a carry-on bag.

I see this as proof that the TSA is hostile towards American citizens. If they actually cared about people, and not their bureaucratic bullshit, they would have an apparatus in place for the gun owner to either come pick it up on their return flight or mail it to an FFL of their choice. Crimes are based on intent, and if the gun owner just forgot and there was no intent, there was no crime.

If you are that dam irresponsible for not knowing that you have placed a weapon that you are going to take with you on a plane. or other place.You deserve to go to jail or pay the fine. I DONT CARE if you forgot . Maybe you will be more responsible next time dummy

Most travelers believe that the TSA is a Police Agency. They are not. If they discover a firearm in their screening, they notify the Police who are stationed at the Airport. Legal action is then undertaken by that Agency. For example, DFW (Dallas Ft. Worth) airport has it’s own Airport Police force – including a jail on the airport property.
However, the State of Texas Legislature – several years ago – recognized that this “mental error” was just that in the preponderance of cases. So if this error occurs, the offending party is asked if they hold a Texas License to Carry. If they do, the person is given the opportunity to return the firearm to their vehicle and re-enter the TSA checkpoint. If the person does not hold a Texas LTC, they would be turned over to the Airport Police.
God Bless Texas

Wait a second here. Aren’t our guns supposed to be secured when not in our possession? How do you leave a gun in a bag you haven’t used for years? Don’t you practice to stay current with it? You forgot you had a gun in your pocket. Really? Really! And what good does it do the Governor to have a gun in his briefcase? Is it a quick draw briefcase? When we make excuses for bozos we weaken our position. We don’t want unaware gun owners in our camp even if there are four thousand of them. Sorry but there is no room for errors with guns. An weapon error is negligence and we should hold a person responsible for a negligent act. I can think of only two situations where a violation might be excusable. A loose round in a pocket. Who among us has not emptied pockets at night and discovered a round or two in a deep pocket? Or when a passenger with a legally declared and packaged gun has to land in a state where they are not authorized to possess it. Not the passenger’s fault. There may be others and I’m sure some will miss the point and list them all. Go for it. But stay away from me.

Joe, I suspect that it is more like what happened to me with my knife. One is accustomed to having it, and not “thinking” about it actively. When I did my check of the hotel room ensuring I hadn’t left anything, I knew my knife was in my pocket because I had just put it there because that is where it always is. I wasn’t thinking about it having to go in my checked bag because I was concentrating on not leaving anything behind at the hotel. I only realized my error once I got to TSA security. However since it was only a knife I wasn’t arrested and had the opportunity to recall my checked bag and put it in the bag.

I can’t say I would put my firearm in a carry-on to begin with, but I could see someone taking it off, and “thoughtlessly” putting in the carry-on in the rush to get to the airport.

My holster for my .45 is very comfortable and I do not always “feel” it, even after wearing it all day. I occasionally become actively aware of it when I bump into something, but it isn’t on the front of my mind the entire time. I’m not saying I don’t know I am armed, just that it is not always the top priority on my mind. I know I am carrying, I’m just not thinking about it all the time, kind of like wearing a shirt, pants, and footwear.

One other method is to allow the person to go back to the check-in counter and secure the firearm in their checked bag. I had an issue many years ago with my pocket knife. I forgot to put it in my checked bag before leaving the hotel room. I got to security and as I was emptying my pockets found my knife. The TSA agent told me to recall my checked bag and put it in the bag. I then successfully went through the TSA checkpoint.

Now before I leave for the airport, I don’t wear a belt and my watch and anything I normally put in my pockets, I put in my checked bag or carry-on. I also now have TSA-Pre and for that $85, I get to keep my shoes on.

I personally see no reason why lawful, CC holders should not be allowed to carry on airplanes. My experience with luggage is that I will not put anything of real value in a checked bag, because God only knows if, when and in what condition I will get it back in. If I am CC, I would not feel comfortable putting my firearm in a bag that I can’t personally ensure its safety and safe return.

I have a safe in my car that is there for the few, very rare times I have carried and was not able to take it with me somewhere. I typically will not go to those types of places, or if I must, I will leave my firearm in my safe at home.